Celebrated American photographer Annie Leibovitz has been announced as IKEA’s first ever Artist in Residence. The furniture giant will be despatching the sharp shooter, known for taking striking shots of celebrities for glossy magazines, around the world to capture candid images of people in their homes.

The project follows the publication of IKEA’s Life at Home Report, which found that 47% of people do not feel like their home life is reflected in the media. The report surveyed 37,000 people in 37 countries to reinforce the flat-pack pioneer’s commitment to continually adapt to how we really use our spaces.

‘The home has always been important in my work,’ says Leibovitz, who is particularly renowned for capturing the authentic essence of her subjects in private moments.

‘I’ve been photographing people in their homes since I began,’ she contributes. ‘It’s a way to understand who a person is. The advice I give to young photographers is to photograph their families. It’s one of the best ways to start.’

IKEA’s new Artist in Residence plans to capture 25 sincere and accurate portraits of life at home for residents in England, Japan, Germany, Sweden, Italy, India and the United States. The Life at Home Report shows that, across the world, only 8% of us care what other people think about how we live our lives at home, so we can expect some intriguing photography at the end of Leibovitz’s project.

‘The Life at Home Report results are a crucial moment every year at IKEA,’ says Marcus Engman, Chief Creative Officer at Ingka Group, which brings the IKEA brand to millions of homes.

‘They help us to realise our vision to create a better everyday life for the many people. That’s why we are delighted to team up with Annie Leibovitz, a true artist and trailblazer, to turn her iconic lens to those lives at home we don’t always see, and voices we don’t always hear.’

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